Folk Arts - Master Artist - Valerie Calac

Valerie Calac. Photo by Fritz Dent.

The craft of weaving coiled baskets is part of master artist Valerie Calac’s Klickitat heritage, which only a few have carried on. Calac learned her weaving from the renowned Klickitat basket weaver Nettie Jackson, who encouraged Calac to sustain their common tradition by teaching it to others.

As a recipient of a 1995 Apprenticeship grant, Calac taught Vicki Swan to weave coiled baskets. Calac focused her teaching to finding places for gathering the cedar roots and beargrass used to weave baskets, how to determine whether materials are usable, preparing and dyeing materials, basket design, and basket weaving. Calac and Swan both completed their own baskets for this project.

Apprentice Swan, a close relative of Calac’s, follows the laws of her culture carefully, and values her heritage. She watched her mother weave baskets years ago, but no longer has this opportunity since her mother’s illness and poor health have prevented her from gathering the materials necessary to weave baskets. Swan grew up listening to stories about baskets that belong to other family members; each basket in her family has a specific history associated with it. Swan’s goal is to become proficient at basket weaving herself, so that she can teach her daughters.